


a killing smile

by orphan_account



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Batman Beyond, Batman: The Animated Series, DC Animated Universe, Killer7
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fusion, Demigods, Gen, Mindfuck, One Shot, Pastiche, Retelling, Supernatural Elements, kill the past, mild spoilers for killer7 if you haven't already played it, punk's not dead, suda51
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-08
Updated: 2017-10-08
Packaged: 2019-01-10 14:51:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 554
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12301455
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: "Are you awake from your nightmare?""Brucie... The world won't change. All it does... is turn."[ᴋɪʟʟᴇʀ7 X ʙᴀᴛᴍᴀɴ]





	a killing smile

It was past midnight, in a futuristic city, in a time not too distant from ours – the sky a vibrant purple from the light pollution.

An inconspicuous old man, carrying a scowl on his face, slowly and quietly exited out of an entrance's door, into the rooftop of an abandoned building.

There was another man there, already waiting for him. A man with a slim physique and ghastly-white skin, sporting slick black-green hair, a metallic black-purple unitard and an uncanny Gwynplaine-esque grin upon his face.

The Laughing Man.

With his tiny, soul-piercing pupils eyeing the Old Man, he gesticulated; holding his open right hand up high, which radiated with a mysterious white glow.

In response, the Old Man, uncharacteristically nimble, readied his weapon – a bat-shaped 'shuriken' – and flung it towards the Laughing Man's glowing hand at rapid speed.

As it hit the hand, it, inexplicably, sent the Laughing Man _literally flying_  with it – from the rooftop, passing by the adjacent taller buildings surrounding it, before making a sudden, hard climb upwards just as it seemed he would hit the tower in the distance—

 

And the Laughing Man touched down on the 'floor' of the tower's top house with a hard, yet quiet [thud](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZaxnV7YDko), seemingly unaffected by the force of the impact.

The struck hand, showing no signs of blood or a wound, subsequently spat out the 'shuriken', dropping to the floor with a soft clang.

Still eyeing the Old Man, even from such a far distance, the Laughing Man put his right hand up once more.

It was still glowing.

 

The Old Man, holding and readying another 'bat-shuriken' in his hand, finally broke his silence, and asked the Laughing Man, whom he knew all too well:

"Are you awake from your nightmare?"

The Laughing Man sneered at the nimble Old Man's question.

"Brucie," he began to finally speak, in turn knowing who the Old Man was all too well. "The world won't change. All it does... is _turn_."

 

 **The Old Man** and _the Laughing Man_ were in eternal conflict.

The former valuing **Order** and **Peace** , the other _Destruction_ and _Disorder_.

 **Light** and _Dark_.

 **Bruce "Batman" Wayne** and _Jack "Joker" Napier_.

Two sides, yet very much of the same coin.

The Old Man, a broken 'soul', sought to protect humanity and the world, to spare them from the horrors he himself had faced.

But the Laughing Man, himself another broken 'soul', saw no hope for humanity or the world, and sought to destroy it – to create the _very same horrors_ that created the Old Man.

Every time they fought, their battles would always end in a stalemate.

And no matter how much the Old Man, deep down, wanted to rescue the Laughing Man from hurting himself and others, it was always all for nothing.

There was no getting through the psychopathic jester's mind.

 

"Now... _let's dance_..."

From a menacing, slow chortle...

...to a _loud, unhinged roar_.

The Laughing Man's warped cackle would be heard throughout the whole city, signifying the beginning of a new battle of the two restless demigods.

And the tragedies that would occur from this battle would only become another footnote in this _ceaseless, **desperate struggle**_ —

 

* * *

 

Tʜᴜs ᴡᴀs ᴛʜᴇ sᴇᴇᴍɪɴɢʟʏ ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ-ᴇɴᴅɪɴɢ ᴄᴏɴғʟɪᴄᴛ ʙᴇᴛᴡᴇᴇɴ **ᴛʜᴇ Bᴀᴛ** ᴀɴᴅ _ᴛʜᴇ Cʟᴏᴡɴ_.

A ᴄᴏɴғʟɪᴄᴛ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ᴇɪᴛʜᴇʀ ᴇɴᴅ, ɪғ ᴇᴠᴇʀ, ɪɴ ᴅᴇᴀғᴇɴɪɴɢ sɪʟᴇɴᴄᴇ...

...ᴏʀ ᴇᴀʀ-ᴘɪᴇʀᴄɪɴɢ ʟᴀᴜɢʜᴛᴇʀ.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tʜᴇ ᴅᴀʏ ᴡʜᴇɴ ʜᴇ sᴛᴏᴘs sᴍɪʟɪɴɢ ɪs ᴛʜᴇ ᴅᴀʏ ᴡᴇ ʀᴇᴍᴇᴍʙᴇʀ ʜɪs sᴍɪʟᴇ.

**Author's Note:**

> ((Something I wrote because I wanted to, I guess.))


End file.
